Entertain Me
by Lycoris Calantha
Summary: A collection. 03. Hikaru knew Izumi was always crazy, but then the degree of insanity was prone to change given certain situations.
1. First Time

Entertain Me

(Tenshi Ja Nai) A collection. Because bored people are scary companions. And Izumi was always scarier than average. And Takabayashi Hikaru has to deal with him. (7fics)

By the way, guys, let's write more Tenshi Ja Nai fics so we can actually get a category, yeah? Yeah! Please! This is like... the second fic written for the entire eight volumes. Ever. In like... two, three years. We can do better than that, right? Right?

Oh, since I had no actual setting, I made up her apartment.

And inspiration would be greeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat! And reviews!

Disclaimer: No. Just… no.

* * *

I'm proud to present:

**Entertain Me**

_A Tenshi Ja Nai collection_

* * *

**1 First Time **

(meaning: there were several 'firsts' in this story, and was chosen to be the opener. Heck, there's even_ insecurity_ here. _shock_)

"Hikaru, entertain me."

"What?"

It was an extremely awkward request to ask, and only someone who has guts would ask Takabayashi Hikaru that as a favor.

Or, to rephrase the previous statement, only the former Kido Izumi, now Miyakawa Izumi, would dare ask Takabayashi Hikaru such a request.

"I'm bored," he elaborated long-sufferingly. "So I want you to entertain me."

"I'm not a performer. Go away," she mumbled.

It was an extraordinarily hot summer, and she was sweltering indoors, even if the air conditioner was on high.

"I don't want to. And besides, Hi-ka-ru..." he smirked. "You _are_ an actress."

"Leave me alone," she whined, batting at him uselessly with a loose fist. "It's too _hot_ to do anything."

"I'm not asking you to eat fire or even juggle."

"Even so, Izumi-san. It's still hot. You can't talk, I mean, at least _you_ can take your shirt off."

He smirked. It was a very _smug_ expression, as if gloating that he was biologically born male.

Jerk.

"Take a cold shower," was his retort.

"I did. Twice," she said, almost irritably.

The corners of his lips twitched upwards. "I would never have noticed," he teased.

Instead of an angry retort, Izumi was faced with a idol -slash- model -slash- actress that had turned, to all appearances, into a quivering blob of goo.

"Hikaru? Hikaru?" murmuring expletives, he rolled his eyes at her response: murmuring 'too hot' while unconscious, and then he entered her bathroom.

He was faced with the bathtub, and a brutally sadistic plan began to form in his mind.

Smirking, he filled the bathtub three fourths with the cold water tap and carried Hikaru (limp and unconscious) and very unceremoniously, (aside from making sure her head won't hit the sides of the tub), dumped her in.

Takabayashi Hikaru woke up flailing and sputtering to his manic laughter.

When she had regained her precious balance and was not gasping for breath as desperately as she had, say, thirty seconds ago, she summoned enough dignity to glare at him.

"I hate you," she hissed, clutching at the sides of the tub.

"We both know that's not true."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Yeah," she said, giving up at least to that extent.

Her expression hardened even as his lips quirked upwards.

"But I'm still pissed."

Izumi rolled his eyes, waving off the feeble threat, but he could _feel_ the seed of doubt starting to sprout.

"Hey, Hikaru."

"Yes?"

"That was very... entertaining."

She shot him a glare that could possibly be lethal and groaned.

His smile turned _evil_, but Hikaru's eyes fluttered closed in bliss.

His eyes started narrowing even as she started to speak.

"I suppose it's cooler in here. I think I'll stay," she said innocently, the edges of her tank top and shorts fluttering lightly in the water.

"In your clothes?"

It was a challenge, and both of them knew it.

Hikaru smirked in a very un-Hikaru manner.

It was rather disconcerting.

Heck, it was _very_ disconcerting.

"Got a problem with that, Izumi-san?"

A brief pause.

Izumi started to smile again, by all account, the smile may be considered pure evil.

"No, not really. May I join you?"

An awkward silence ensued before Hikaru dared to speak:

"... Why?"

"Well, I do know that I was born male, contrary to popular belief, but I do feel like I'm slowly being roasted," he seemed _offended_.

"Steamed," her answer was immediate, intended to lift tension.

"What?" he was puzzled, that much was apparent.

"There's no direct source of heat, so it's not really right to say that you're being roasted..."

Izumi decided that he had been rolling his eyes way too often lately, but did so anyway.

Hikaru almost giggled, aside from the fact that it was extremely uncomfortable to be sopping wet.

Especially sopping wet in your bathtub in frigid (that was a good thing in retrospect...) water with all your clothes on and with Izumi-san's shirtless presence.

Ahem.

Very uncomfortable.

She flinched involuntarily away from him, and she didn't notice the hurt expression on his face.

(He was always the better actor...)

"Alright then, being _cooked,_ so that's over now…"

Hikaru agreed grudgingly and he smiled, a real smile, at least refraining from diving into her tub...

* * *

He sat beside her, in close propinquity and she was hunched over lightly, submerged until the lower half of her face was in the cool water.

She didn't notice her partner's troubled expression; the way his eyebrows furrowed or his unusual silence.

She blew bubbles with her nose.

"This feels great," she commented.

Izumi stretched, seeming to snap out of it. "Of course; I thought of it."

Hikaru snorted. "Right. I think the heat's finally gotten to you."

"I... I love you. You know that, right?" he asked, his head bowed as if he was embarrassed.

Hikaru stared at him. "Why would you ask that?"

She was answered with silence.

She lifted her head from the water to look him in the face. "Izumi-san..."

He lifted his head to look at her, meeting her eyes.

"Izumi-san," she repeated. "I know. And I love you too. You shouldn't doubt that. Alright? I know that I can't really prove it now, but you have to trust me, ne?"

He smiled boyishly at her. "I... I just wanted to know, I guess."

Hikaru smiled, too, and splashed him lightly with the cool water. "Snap _out_ of it, Izumi-san."

He grinned, startling her by pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her tightly, wet clothes and all.

He whispered in her ear, standing up from the tub and carrying her, uncomfortably wet but feeling _safe_.

"I'm out," his smile turned into a smirk. "Cool enough, Hikaru-_chan_?" he continued, voice teasing.

She couldn't suppress her shudder, snatching her towel as he walked past it. "Do you _want_ to get a cold?"

"You'd make a great mother," he said, as a response.

He ignored her flush mercifully.

"Hikaru..."

"Yeah?"

"Want some ice cream?"

"Sure."

He grinned. "Alright, but first..."

"Hm?"

He swooped down briefly to slant his lips over hers. She stiffened in surprise but twined her fingers behind his neck.

When they parted, she just smiled. "I love you," she whispered against his chest.

She could hear his heartbeat, erratically thumping against his ribcage.

Izumi saw her shiver, her teeth starting to chatter. Her wet clothes, the thin tank top and the loose, oversized shorts... He sighed.

Taking the large fluffy towel from her slack grip, he wrapped her easily in it and headed for her bed. He dropped her unceremoniously, and she ounce once before settling.

"Huh?"

"Get dressed, Hikaru. We're going out soon."

She smiled, looking almost beatific. "Thanks, Izumi-san."


	2. Wait

Entertain Me

(Tenshi Ja Nai) A collection. 02 You'll wait. Wait for her because though Ayase might make her happy, now... he was stupid.

He was a jerk, because... you knew he'd hurt her.

By the way, guys, let's write more Tenshi Ja Nai fics so we can actually get a category, yeah? Yeah! Please! This is like... the second fic written for the entire eight volumes. Ever. In like... two, three years. We can do better than that, right? Right?

And inspiration would be greeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat! And reviews!

Disclaimer: No. Just… no.

* * *

I'm proud to present:

**Entertain Me**

_A Tenshi Ja Nai collection_

* * *

**Things You should know:**

This is a short piece of prose. Mostly to inform you that Entertain Me is going to probably take a different direction from my original plan. The words 'Entertain Me' will probably still take some form of role in most (several) of the stories, but as my computer broke and my files are all in some cybernetic Black Hole of No Return, which had some four almost done chapters and two ongoing... All for this fic... Tenshi Ja Nai's second fanfiction on this site... is now severely stuck in the mud. Mostly because I maybe sort of somehow managed to forget my plots. All of them. I think there was one about exhaustion, which I'm trying to duplicate... Oh, and something about Hikaru having to practice some angsty script, and him making her do it out loud. And something about scandal (which was fun. Someone can use this as a plot bunny. It won't bite. Much.) and something about them getting engaged because of said scandal...

And I totally forgot my next ideas... But there was a wedding. There might have been a 'before the wedding' I'm not sure if it was before or during the wedding chapter. Oh. I think there was something about pregnant! Hikaru, but I forgot her personality.

What the heck. So, um, I totally welcome any ideas and am thinking about ditching my thousand word minimum thing. Starting with this. By the way, guys, if you want to use some of the said ideas, you are welcome. Just inform me.

So, uh, I looove you guys for your support, and I hope that you continue to enjoy reading this, though I can no longer guarantee a consistent length such as my usual standard, I hope that I can at least do the characters justice.

Oh, and curse words you may encounter are the characters' fault. Not mine.

* * *

**2 Wait**

There was a tumult of emotions that you felt when she was going out with your teacher. (That bastard...)

There was that painful confusing feeling of being bombarded with conflicting emotions.

Because you knew what you felt.

You knew that Hikaru was special to you. Knew it for a while, just not the full extent.

You knew that you'd just stay there, in the wings.

Waiting for her.

A steady comforting presence if she should need one.

That's all you could do, you think, a little regretfully. (Something you dislike. Greatly. Feeling useless.)

You should be happy for her.

You aren't.

And you know it's silly. Juvenile.

But you can't help it.

She tries to blend in, fails miserably. She wants to be the backdrop. An extra. A prop.

She was meant to be more than that, you knew.

Then again, you never aided her in her quest for inconspicuousness. (Quite the opposite, in fact...)

You dragged her into the spotlight so many times, pushing her, manipulating her.

She had to do so much for you, you think a little regretfully. She was watching out for you then... And she probably would in the future. She can look kind of scary in those times.

Yet it's odd...

You trust her, now more than ever.

You love her.

You realize that now.

Too late, now she found someone else.

You narrow your eyes. You dislike interference.

But... he made her happy. The damn teacher did.

Something **you** couldn't do as well as he seemed to.

He didn't even seem to try.

You went out of your way, to what? To tease her? To bring her out in to the spotlight, for your entertainment, to see her reaction.

You had never wished you could reveal yourself as male more than that time he'd carried -your- Hikaru.

Too much for a girl, hah. As if.

You know it wasn't strictly true, and that the girl he carried in his arms was proof of that. She had carried you, and though sometimes it seemed that maybe you were too much of a burden for her, she'd pull through.

(And it did not apply to you anyways...)

Hikaru was beautiful, delicate, in a different way. Not like a fragile, paper thin bloom, but like a wild rose.

Admired for its beauty and yet respected for its prickling thorns. Her resolve was formidable.

Well, not everyone noticed the beauty, and hardly anyone considered her formidable.

But she was, without a doubt, the most intriguing female you've ever met.

And you've met some pretty strange females.

You depended on her, and she was important to you. She was special to you, dear to you.

And you know now that you love her. That was a very important thing to know.

You'll wait.

Wait for her because though Ayase might make her happy, now... he was stupid.

He was a jerk, because... you knew he'd hurt her.

You know he's stupid and that he'll make some mistake.

He'd hurt her, make her cry.

And you'll be there to comfort her and help her pick up the pieces.

Help her and protect her when she's vulnerable and try and prevent this from ever happening again.

Because you'd be damned if you were going to go through this again due to you being passively in the background of her love life.

But, you will wait.

Although, feelings that you have right now... can no longer be hidden.

You smirk. It would be a relief to stop trying to hide.

You were never good at that, concealing your emotions.


	3. Exhausted

Entertain Me

(Tenshi Ja Nai) A collection. 03 Hikaru knew Izumi was always crazy, but then the degree of insanity was prone to change given certain situations.

Very unproductive of me, I know… but hey, **_WE HAVE A CATEGORY PER MY REQUEST_**! Oh yeah! *grins* Come on! Celebrate!

And inspiration would be greeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat! And reviews!

Disclaimer: No. Just… no.

* * *

I'm proud to present:

**Entertain Me**

_A Tenshi Ja Nai collection

* * *

  
_

**Exhausted**

Hikaru knew Izumi was always crazy, but then the degree of insanity was prone to change given certain situations.

Now, when she'd come home to her (not his) apartment, and he was there... He hadn't greeted her.

No.

Instead, she had an encounter with him being all high and mighty.

And he said, after all that she had to endure that day, that he was_ bored_.

* * *

It was late in the evening and Takabayashi Hikaru, for lack of a better word to show exactly how drained she was, was exhausted.

She stepped into her apartment, having had trouble with keys and keyholes in her current state, and greeted a weary 'I'm home' from sheer habit.

No one should have answered back.

So, when a soft but reeaally scary at times voice answered back, Hikaru would have cringed if she wasn't too tired and if she didn't consider that as a waste of energy in her current state.

"Welcome back."

She didn't get it. Izumi shouldn't even be here this late at night. Or, if he was, he'd be asleep and not sounding like...

... Like he'd been waiting up for her.

Oh.

Oh. But then, she thought, he'd have to be disappointed because she'd consider it a miracle if she could make it to her room, much less hug him or whatever it was he wanted of her.

"Hikaru?" he said imperiously.

There was an arrogance about him, one usually used to describe certain high-class, snobby women, a especially arrogrant group of men or...

... or certain homosexual males.

She almost chortled to think that Izumi-san's attitude was very much like one of those gay stylists that she had become friends with during her life as an actress.

But Izumi-san was expecting an answer and she would suffer greatly eventually if she refused to answer him.

"Yes," she said, pitching her voice low enough to not hurt her ears but loud enough to be carried over to him. She kept the answer short, hoping that her tiredness can carry over to him and he'd shut up.

And hopes were little imaginary dots you saw when you were hallucinating.

"Hikaru, come here."

She did come, mostly because his voice was coming from her bedroom.

The bedroom she believed -she- had the right to. Especially after all she'd gone through, thank you very much.

"Izumi-san," she started once she managed to cross the threshold and she felt the soft fluffy flooring beneath her feet. "May I reclaim my bed?"

"Hm," he smirked. "No."

The arrogant twitching of his lips she knew was on his face even though she wasn't facing him.

"... Out of my room, Izumi-san."

"I don't want to," he said, and as if to prove a point, he deliberately stretched on her bed, catlike. "I need to tell you something, by the way."

She just looked at him, bleary eyed, and a little unsteady on her feet. He didn't notice the latter.

"Hikaru," he said flatly. "I'm bored."

His tone was so flat he could have been talking about the weather.

He could have been imitating a robot.

Hell, he could have _been _the robot.

She trudged forward bravely, painfully, ignoring him.

She managed to flop onto her bed before going completely limp.

"Hikaru," he repeated. "Hikaru." Izumi knew she was tired, but figured that Akizuki wouldn't push Hikaru too much.

Tche, fat chance.

Izumi has someone to add onto his hitlist.

She mumbled, the mattress muffling her words.

He sighed deeply. Hooking his legs easily over the side of the bed, he mumbled something about Akizuki and making Hikaru do things she can't and her being a pushover and working too hard and having a talk and Yasukuni coming with him.

"Hikaru," he repeated, lifting her up easily. He carried her to her bed, tucking her in.

The room was silent.

"Izumi-san?" Hikaru's eyes fluttered open, squinting in the half-light of the room.

"Hikaru?" he looked at her. "Sleep, you need it. You have a shoot tomorrow, too."

She blinked slowly, twice. "I... What did you need to tell me?"

He sighed deeply. "Go to sleep."

She shook her head. "Tell me."

"I was going to tell you I was bored and was going to ask you to entertain me. However, that us impossible in your current state. Therefore," he said, patting her pillow for emphasis, "sleep."

She looked tired, but she smiled. "Come here, Izumi-san," she said softly.

He rolled his eyes at her, but came close anyways, leaning forward to be able to brush his lips to hers in a heartbeat.

He won't though, just this once.

(She was tired, and he did care for her wellbeing. Someone had to, if she was going to let other people run her ragged.)

She smiled at him weakly, before pushing herself up and kissing him quickly, full on the lips, her smile growing stronger as he gaped at her. "How's that?" she said before closing her eyes and snuggling deeper into the covers.

He brushed a few locks of hair from her face, watching her peaceful face. She was beautiful.

He paused a bit, hesitating slightly before lying down, on top of the covers.

"Sleep," he whispered, kissing her forehead softly and draping an arm around her waist.

She looked fragile, looking small compared to him, covered with bedsheets up to her chin. He breathed in the air deeply, once, before going to closing his eyes.

The only movement in the room was the gentle rise and fall of their breathing, and the slight movement of his arm, up and down with her heartbeat, where it rested on her waist.


End file.
